Sleepless Nights
by heartpiratesanji
Summary: Sanji's keeping watch one night when the allied surgeon steps out on deck, having been woken by one of his reoccurring nightmares, and seeking comfort. Law x Sanji. Rated for a little swearing. Written for Share The Love Month 2015! [ I apologize in advance for my rusty writing, it's been a while ]


It was a calm and cool night in the New World, and it happened to be Sanji's turn to keep watch as everyone slept that night. He situated himself comfortably outside on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, standing wrapped in a blanket and smoking a cigarette, looking out into the pitch black of night, watching the starry sky and pondering various things to himself silently.

A few hours into his watch, he heard some faint, unusual noises. Almost whimpers. But the tenor of the voice was familiar. "Hm?" He turned his head to see a man walk out on deck, looking quite disturbed and trembling slightly. He stood up from where he sat, looking over to the figure. It was the surgeon, the guest captain staying on their ship. "Another nightmare?" He asked softly, looking over his shoulder with a slight frown and brows furrowed.

The doctor looked to him and gave a single nod, making only brief eye contact, walking over to rest his head on Sanji's shoulder from behind, carefully wrapping arms around the cook's waist and pulling him close.

Sanji relaxed slightly into the embrace of the other and lazily puffed out a cloud of smoke. "The same one?"

Law nodded slightly again before burying his face in Sanji's neck and taking a soft, deep breath. "The same one."

Sanji nodded in return. "Want to stay out here with me? Although, as you can see, I'm a very busy man..." He mumbled, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yes..." The doctor murmured quietly. There was something about the cook's presence he found calming. Maybe it was the nostalgia brought on by mess of blonde hair, or the smell of cigarettes, or maybe it was just the lack of judgment whenever Law found himself plagued by the nightmares and terrors, waking and seeking comfort. Law continue to stand there in the embrace, lifting his head slightly to rest his chin on the socket of Sanji's shoulder.

Sanji flicked the cigarette butt into the inky blackness of the sea and turned to look at the man on his back. "Do you want anything to eat? Drink?"

Law shook his head. He hardly had an appetite after a dream like that. Seeing the man who saved him as a child vividly die in front of him repeatedly, while Law was unable to save him or do anything to intervene... It would be enough to turn anyone's stomach. Not that he ever had too much of an appetite to begin with, but the nightmares were enough to lessen the already faint appetite he had.

Sanji closed his eyes and nodded. He figured as much, but it never hurt to ask. It was his duty, after all, to make sure everyone aboard the ship was fed properly. Though, the surgeon was a bit of a challenge when it came to eating sometimes. Aside from being picky, the man just didn't eat sometimes.

The surgeon gazed calmly up at the starry sky, catching a shooting star briefly. "The nightmares keep getting more vivid..." He murmured quietly. "And I still can't intervene in them... I keep watching Cora-san... Die..."

Sanji continued to stare out to sea. "It's the same dream, but keeps getting more detailed? Do you think it has to do with us being so close to Doflamingo?"

Law nodded. "Pursuing that man is dragging up a lot of unwanted memories. I believe that's the cause." He let out a slight sigh.

"So there's no way to relieve it?"

"Until I can avenge Cora-san? No."

"Well, what about anything else?"

"Aside from keeping myself awake and skipping sleep? No."

"That's not healthy, you know."

"I know."

"So, what do you want me to do?"

"Keep me awake."

Sanji chuckled softly with a light snort and closed his eyes. "I'll do my best, doctor."

Law let out a slight chuckle of his own and smiled gently without a word. This was yet another characteristic he appreciated about the cook. They didn't have to talk. They didn't need to say anything to each other. There was just a sort of calm peacefulness and quiet with the blond in the middle of the sleepless nights that he appreciated. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence; it was welcomed. Waking up from his night terrors, disoriented and confused, he knew he always had a safe place to go, even though this ship was not his own.

Sanji relaxed and remained silent, carrying out his watch. He understood the trials of night terrors, having suffered the delusions of starvation and the all-too-vivid nightmares that accompanied them when he was a child, and they would still haunt him occasionally to this day. "... What will you do when you return to your own ship?" He asked quietly.

"I'll simply remember this." Law hugged a little tighter.

Sanji chuckled. "Think that will be enough to calm you down? Just the thought alone?" He lit up another cigarette.

Law plucked the lit stick from the chef's lips with a frown. "Stop that. You're going to kill yourself."

Sanji scowled and made a grab for the cigarette. "Oi. Give that back."

Law held it far from Sanji's reach, the cook having to turn his body around and face the surgeon to try and make a grab for it, though the doctor had a height advantage and held the stick just out of Sanji's grasp.

"This isn't funny, Law. I don't care if you're an ally, I'll still kick your ass." He growled and made another grab at it.

Law chuckled and pulled it away at the last second, the cook practically standing on his toes. "And I could always rearrange your body parts, hm? Or maybe you'd like to just be a disembodied head?" He teased the younger man with an arrogant smirk.

Sanji stopped grabbing for it and stood there with a deep frown, looking up defiantly at the doctor with almost stormy, oceanic blur eyes. "You're a little shit, you know that?"

Law smirked, bringing the cigarette to his own lips and taking a drag from it, blowing the smoke in Sanji's face with a soft hum, still with the arrogant smile plastered across his face. "Yes."

Sanji rolled his eyes and waved at the smoke idly with a hand. "Hypocrite. Just give it back."

Law held it in front of him. "Do you truly want it that bad?" He wiggled the cigarette between his tattooed fingers. "Come and get it."

Sanji snatched at it, but missed again as the surgeon took anther puff, grabbing the cook by his tie and pulling him in close, their lips meeting as Law exhaled the smoke into Sanji's mouth. Sanji's eyes widened at the sudden yank of his tie, sending him forward to bump chests with the man. But, azure eyes slowly went half-lidded as he relaxed into the kiss, inhaling the smoke that was given to him. He pulled back and exhaled the smoke with a slight smirk. "What was that for?"

"Because I felt like it." He handed the cigarette back over to Sanji and returned to the light embrace from behind as they had been in previously.

Sanji rolled his eyes and put the cigarette in its usual position; hanging from thin lips lazily as he puffed on it in thought. "Thought you were concerned for my health." He mumbled.

"Yes, and I thought you were concerned about mine. Yet, here you are, keeping me awake."

"Yet, here you are, smoking with me." He exhaled some smoke rings.

Law watched with slight amusement. "So, you asked if thinking of this will be enough to to calm me..."

"Yeah?" He tilted his head back slightly to look at him with a blank expression.

"Maybe I'll take up smoking."

"Don't do that." Sanji rolled his eyes once again.

"What do you suggest?"

"You have a transponder snail, do you not?"

"I do."

"Then call me. I don't care what time of night. I don't care if it's just us sitting on either end with just silence between us. You can call me." Sanji puffed on the cigarette one last time before flicking the butt into the night.

"You sure? People may question such a thing between us." Law raised an eyebrow.

"No one has to know except you or I. No one knows about this. And if people question, so what? It's not their business anyways." He idly waved his hand.

"I see... So, is this just a part of the alliance between our crews?" The doctor asked slowly.

"If that's what you want to consider it...?" Sanji responded just as slowly, dragging out the inflection of a question in the sentence.

"Hm, then it's not a part of the alliance."

"Oh?" Sanji turned to look at the surgeon, whose head was still resting on his shoulder. "It isn't, then?"

Law looked up at him with a cheeky smirk, without a word.

Sanji's blank expression turned to reflect the smirk, understanding what the doctor was insinuating. "I see."

Law yawned softly and closed his eyes, slumping against Sanji slightly.

"You should try to sleep."

"I don't want to, you should know that."

"If... I was there, would that help?"

"Perhaps it would. Who knows..."

"Here." Sanji moved to sit down with his back against the railing of the starboard side of the ship, opening his arms out to the doctor. "Sit." He wiggled his fingers and waved his hands shortly, gesturing for Law to come over.

Law walked over and sat down between the deadly legs of the sea cook, only to be wrapped up in the blanket Sanji had brought out with him.

"Now, sleep." He mumbled, bringing his arms around the blanket and looking off into the distance. "I have to keep watch. But you can stay here."

Law said nothing and leaned against the blond, closing his eyes. Across his lips was a very slight, hardly noticeable smile.

Sanji rested his chin on the man's shoulder. "Don't get used to this."

"I wouldn't dream of it, blackleg-ya."

"You'll have to return to your own crew soon enough anyways..."

Law looked over his shoulder, detecting a hint, even if it was infinitesimally slight, tone of sadness in those words.

Sanji stared back at him, not saying another word.

Law sighed and nodded. "You're right... I will."

"You'll probably be happier. It'll be quieter, and you'll be sleeping in your own bed."

"Perhaps. But the food won't taste as good."

"Damn right it won't." Sanji snorted and gave a nod. "Whoever your cook is should make sure you're eating properly."

"Don't worry about me." He gave a soft smile, turning to glance at the blond.

Sanji's cheeks began to feel hot. "Who said I was worried about you?"

"Hm, so you're not, then?" His tone was cheeky.

"You're a grown man. You can take care of yourself. Except when it comes to eating." Sanji mumbled sullenly and leaned back a bit.

Law leaned with him and laid his head on Sanji's shoulder, looking up into the sky, glancing at Sanji. "I'll be okay."

Sanji let out a breath and closed his eyes, his arms around the surgeon squeezing him slightly in the embrace. "How do I know you're not full of shit?"

"I'll do it for you."

Sanji's eyes remained shut, and his face remained calm. But on the inside, his heart may have skipped a beat and he felt a pit in his stomach at the other man's words. "If that's what it takes."

A small but genuine smile silently spread across Law's lips as he settled into Sanji a bit and closed his eyes. Eventually, he found himself dozing off on the blond's shoulder, snoring softly with his lips parted. For once, in his unconsciousness, his face was free of worry lines or a frown, and he looked peaceful.

Sanji kept watch, his gaze occasionally wandering to the man in his arms. A small, fond smile spread across his lips as he gave a gentle squeeze, keeping his uneventful watch through the rest of the night. He knew nights like this were limited, but he's enjoy the ones he was fortunate enough to have.

* * *

 _ **This little one-shot was written for Share The Love Month 2015! I really enjoyed participating in the event, and be sure to check out other writers and artists in this event on Tumblr! I'm a bit rusty with writing, as most of you can see I haven't updated anything in a long time due to personal life getting out of control, but writing a short (albeit, rusty) one shot on my OTP seemed doable. I also had a little piece of art (again, albeit, not what I would have liked it to be, but c'est la vie) to accompany the fic. Enjoy!**_


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